Organizational Culture Through the Looking Glass

The book makes and interesting point, that we do not realize our organizational culture until we step outside of it and realize that by acting the way we usually would within our organization that we are deviants from the norm. I am currently experience this “organizational culture shock”. I am currently in Austin, TX for the next two weeks on a business trip for training at one of our partner manufacturing locations. First, I do not have a manufacturing background so the factory is foreign to me and second, Cisco employees have our own little world with our own language and way of doing things. Stepping into a manufacturing organization that is not Cisco has been quite disorienting for me. At Cisco, everyone knows that everyone will be late to a meeting and that many people will have their computers open in that meeting doing something else, which I am not saying is a good way of doing things rather just that this is what is done. Meetings are commonplace and we could easily fill a full eight hours with back to back meetings. In this manufacturing organization that we are visiting they are very strict on time, if you are even one minute late they will lock you out of the meeting and open computers are not allowed in the meeting. The meeting rooms have standing room only at the high-boy tables in order to discourage meeting for too long and too often. Again, I am not suggesting one way is better than another but that they are very different cultures that the people who live it every day are not aware of until confronted with it by being an outsider.

Project Idea part 2

Another thought that I had for my project was to focus on new technologies and the changing ways people communicate within the organization because of it. I think I would look at some classical works of communication in the organization as well as research on communication done before the computer, internet, Instant Messenger, and Smartphones and then research on organizational communication after these new technologies were introduced into the workplace. It will be kind of like a cross-sectional study of the changes in technology and communications over time. Although I do not know much about technology I am fascinated how it can effect communications so dramatically.

Project Proposal part1

For my research project on organizational communications I think it would be interesting to look at the information overload that occurs in organizations these days. With the use of new media to communicate it allows for this overload to occur much more easily. In my preliminary research I have not found much information on this so I may need to alter my topic a bit. I do think it would be interesting to look at how the information overload occurs, what information is categorized as an overload, the feelings of employees towards this overload, and what technologies are used to create this.

Language and organizaitonal communications

One of the features of language that the book suggests to consider in analysis of organizational communication is narrative or story telling. I have recognized this in the organizational announcements that we send out to the supply chain management organization. They make a story out of the announcement. There is always an introduction, a climax, and close. The “voice” of the executive narrates the announcement. I think this is done to create a “relationship” with the audience that is being spoken to. It is interesting that you can recognize these “unintentional” language patterns in the communications when you just think about it. It is very easy to overlook these simply nuances of language.

Researching Communicaiton Effectiveness

Every year the communications team that I work with does a communication effectiveness study of the whole Supply Chain Organization (the function that I work in within the larger company). We carry this out not only to understand if the messages we are sending are being received and understood but also how the organization communicates best. Are they more receptive to email newsletter, face to face interaction, video, shared web spaces? We try to understand it from to sides, from what we are currently doing to communicate and how we can better communicate in the future. This study consists of focus groups first where 4 -5 groups of 10 meet with the researched and they have a more open discussion. From this focus group and input from others in the team we create a survey that is sent out to all of the members of Supply Chain. It is a accompanied by an email from the SVP requesting participation. We take the results very seriously. We have a meeting once they have all been analyzed and discuss what when wrong with past communications and how we can change our practices so that we do not see the same problem the next year. I have found it incredibly enlightening to study the communications that we send and also how the organization is communicating. It is so valuable to get that insight and understanding.

Theory X or Theory Y?

I have worked for both a Theory Y manager and a Theory X manager. I have worked for more theory Y managers but am now much happier and I believe as a result more efficient now that I work for a theory X manager.

When I was in high school I worked for a tanning salon in southern California. My boss at the time would run us like dogs and if there was ever a dip in our sales he would blame it on our character not on the market or any external force of nature. He would video tape us at the front desk and scrutinize our every word and move when making a sale. He did give us external rewards, based on sales we made commission and were given bonuses, but the monetary rewards never made up for the disrespect. I found myself more defiant towards him because of the lack of trust in my ability to do a good job.

Last year I worked for a Chamber of Commerce in Southern California. My boss there was horrible. She was the epitome of a micro-manager. She would come over to my desk and say, “what are you working on, let me see it.” or ”You’re doing it wrong, you don’t know anything”. This made me have very little motivation to be efficient.

Now at this job the culture of the organization is to trust that the employees that were hired are intelligent, hard workers that can make decisions and to leave them be to really let their skills shine. If I tell my boss an idea I have she says, “that is great, go do it. I will support you in whatever you need.” If I need her she is there but she trusts that if I can think the great idea I can also implement it without a lot of supervision. I really thrive in this environment. I like to be trusted that I can do my job and do my job well.

I think that a Theory Y management style can cause an employee to be disgruntled, resentful, and stifled of creativity. I always felt what’s the use of being innovative and creative if it will only be scrutinized, stopped in the process of, or degraded. A Theory X management style I feel opens an organization more open for creativity and allows the minds of the organization to think outside the box.

Multi-tasking: ADD or an Art Form

I am great at multi-tasking. I can do multiple random things at once. My mind can switch from one mode to another in a spilt second. I have been told I have ADD because I do just that, switch from one thing to another in a split second. I have also found that many call multi-tasking a professional skill. I have seen multiple resumes come through my department that under skills it says, “interpersonal communications, customer service, multi-tasking”. Is it really a professional skill to be able to do many things at once? Is focusing a little on many things rather than fully on one thing really more productive?

I honestly think there has to be a middle ground. Even though I am really good at switching my tasks at the drop of a hat I have had to learn a new way of multi-tasking through balance of my tasks not doing all of them at once. This new job that I have has so many different responsibilities that are occurring concurrently that if I did not have the ability to work on multiple things in the same time frame I would fail. But I have had to learn that I can work on multiple things at the same time without working on things at the same moment. In one week I can work on 5 different projects but I have had to learn to split them up throughout the day and prioritize so that at a given moment I can be focusing fully on the task at hand but then an hour later working on something completely different but still give it my full attention. My calendar looks crazy but is the only way that I have figured out how to fit it all into the same time frame without working on all of it at once. That I believe is the best way to multi-task.

Changing Organizational Structures

From command and control to collaboration is the way my organization is changing. Instead of one person telling many what to do and when the structure is changing to councils where multiple individuals from different functions throughout the company work together to make decisions. This is an uncomfortable change for the leaders and the employees of the organization. None of us are used to working this way and this is has been a difficult process of adoption. Collaboration is new to all of us and its means a new way of working, a new business model, a new way of time management.

Charismatic authority and the success of an organization

What happens when an organization IS the person who runs it, when the personality and character of the leader becomes the personality and character of the company. The success that a strong, charismatic leader brings to a company can be tied directly to that person. I think of the CEO of my organization, John Chambers, when I think of this concept. He is so intelligent and visionary and has grown the organization exponentially since he took over. I cannot imagine what the company will be without him. If he were to ever leave I can almost guarantee that the stock would drop, at least until a new leader came in and proved their self to be close to as great as Chambers is.

Communication Trickle Down

The book states that a very “tall” organization with many hierarchical levels can block the flow of communication and messages upward. I have found that this also effects the flow of communication and messages downward. Many times the people at the top understand the strategic goals and objectives of their job and how they fit into organization. They are the individuals that make the decisions but often times the trickle down of the information about how and why a program or initiative has been implemented only makes it down a few levels. Quite often the strategy and goals behind the tactical work that is done does not make it to the people who are doing that tactical work. So while it is difficult to speak to those at the top it is also difficult to hear from them as well.

At my work we just completed a communication effectiveness survey of employees in the functional organization that I do internal communications for. We found that directors and above are very clear on the organizational goals and how the work they do is significant to reaching those goals, however; we found that managers and individual contributors (those who do not manage others) are unclear of how they effect achieving the goals of the organization.

Cannot Compute!!

I often wonder how communication technology that was created to make it easier to process information, increase productivity, and streamline actions has contributed to the information overload that goes on in organizations these days. It is so easy to send and receive information but that does not equal processing messages and information. On a daily basis I find myself being bombarded by my email from co-workers and key stakeholders, e-newsletters with links to a whole other pool of information on the internet, and the infinite information available to me on the world wide web. Sometimes I find my head just spinning and I feel like if I were a computer myself my screen would be flashing, “Cannot Compute! Cannot Compute!” How has it gotten to this point where the things that we really can not imagine living without because of the ease of information transmission has caused an overload that we can not escape from.

Connecting with the E-market

As I was reading the information in this section of the chapter on interacting with the market using communication technology, I thought about how I interact with the organizations, when I am the “market” that they are reaching out to. I started to wonder if the availability of information, ability to purchase, request, or give feedback without ever communicating directly with another human being, has made us more anti-social.

I know that I would rather do everything online. I contact organizations, give feedback, get information about all of my accounts online. I buy everything online or at least “shop” online and then go to the store knowing exactly what I want and buy it, with none of the dilly dallying that I already did when I “shopped” online. I find that I get frustrated when I am unable to do or find something online and I have to interact directly with a person. I am a very social person but when it comes to certain things I really love the opportunity to avoid others all together. Has anyone else experienced this level of “anti-social” behavior now that they can do many of those tasks on the internet?

Impersonality in electronic mediated communication

One of the complaints that I and many others have about electronic mediated communication is that there is a lack of interpersonal cues. It is difficult to get a sense of what the other person is feeling or sometimes even what they mean. I feel that the lack of nonverbal cues results in miscommunication.
I find it interesting that the research done by Joseph Walter suggests that sometimes in an electronic impersonal communication environment people feel more free to share ideas and comment on others and that sometimes it is more strategic to use this type of communication in certain workgroups. After reading this I thought about some of the communication that goes on in my organization over email. We set up multiple email aliases that others can subscribe to in order to communicate with users that might have similar interests. I find that it is easier to comment on information when you don’t know personally all of those who are included in that alias

Adopting New Technologies

Can any of us remember a workplace without email. It has really become an institution in any organization to have it. It is almost the sole way of communicating. Do any of us remember the adoption process of email. For me it was already established when I entered the workforce.

At my company we are attempting to introduce some new WEB 2.0 technologies that are meant to increase productivity by allowing more real-time collaboration. This process has turned out to be like pulling teeth for some. Even though I work for a company that is high tech and on the cutting edge of technological innovation there are some that are very resistant to change. They don’t understand why or how these new technologies will help them because it is not only a new technology but also a new way of working. We have been enlisting some serious help from the change management organization to make the adoption as quick and easy as possible.

I wish that I had been around when email was just being introduced into the workplace so that I could better understand the process of it and also remind folks that the way they feel about these technologies now they probably felt about email then but they learned to use it and it may their work a whole lot easier.

Communication technology and the 24/7 workforce

Every Friday I work from home. I do this not only to save gas but also because I can spend the time that I would be commuting actually working. This means I usually get two extra hours of work in. Monday through Thursday I work until 5 or 5:30, I sit in traffic to come home, I make dinner and do dishes, and then when all the “evening home activities” are complete I log back onto the network, check and return emails, review and complete items that I feel need to be done before the next day, then go to bed. I can log on anytime, anyplace as long as I have an internet connection – which I can get anytime, anyplace because my company provides a program that helps me find public wireless internet connections then pays for me to log onto them. Why do I do this? Because I can.

What has the availability of new communication technologies such as the internet, voice over IP, and smartphones done to the workplace? I believed it has moved it away from the traditional organization, where employees telecommute more often than not and meetings and interactions are done behind the veil of technology rather than face to face. It has created easier access and therefore longer hours and a 24/7 connected workforce. What does that mean for the organization? Does the ability to always be logged on equal greater productivity or burned out employees? I think that we are all becoming so used to being “on” 24 hours a day that it seems odd to not be connected.

Balancing it all

This blog is off topic. I have missed the final blog and comment for the second week of class.

We are all in Master's programs probably working full time and trying to balance it all. I have learned to cope with finding balance between my schooling, busy schedule at work, and settling into my life in a new home with my fiance. But what happens when all of a sudden life gets in the way of your flow. Two weeks ago both my fiance and I found out that my grandmother and his grandfather were very ill and would be passing soon. I rushed off to Tennessee last weekend to see my grandmother before she passed and he spent time with his family trying to keep them positive. Well in some sad stroke of fate both of our grandparents passed away on Saturday evening, six hours apart. We are both mourning the loss of family and trying to be strong for out parents who have lost a mother and a father today. I personally feel entirely overwhelmed and worn out. I don't know how to stay strong for them while keeping the balance that I have gotten used to. My balance was thrown off this week and I am interested to hear how others have learned to deal with the curve balls that life throws us.

Ethics and the Organization

Every year I and 67,000 other employees are required to read and sign a Code of Business Conduct that is about 60 pages of what equals right and wrong in our organization. When I read through this document I am surprised at how spelled out things are. Some things that to me would seem very natural to know are wrong have to be put into a document for people to read and sign. I guess it is just a way to emphasize what the company deems right and wrong and to constantly revisit those facts. We also have an entire department that is specifically dedicated to ethics with tools for managers and new hires on how to approach situations ethically. I guess I am lucky to work for an organization that is dedicated to employing ethical individuals. Many people might say that companies that do this are just trying to show on the surface that they are ethical and are doing it all at face value but I truly believe that the organization that I work for based on their actions, statements, and values is an ethical organization. We have won awards based on our ethics. Maybe more organizations need to be more focused on and know the value of being ethical and it would not be so hard to teach to our future leaders. Actions speak louder than words and large organizations need to lead by example.

Social Responsibility and Ethics

Here are some new buzzwords to add to our organizational dictionary: social responsibility, corporate responsibility, corporate philanthropy, and how about GREEN! What do these terms and concepts really mean to the organization? What are the motivations behind claiming your company is green? Have the organizations suddenly just grown souls and seen the light in the value of ethics or are these concepts a way for these organizations to jump on the bandwagon? What does it mean to be socially responsible? These are important question to ask when looking at these new terms and the ethics of an organization. While these are not the only things that make up and ethical company they definitely contribute to it. How a company views and works with and in the community and environment it is a part of should tell a lot about how that company will be in other parts of business. If the company truly values how it effects the environment and how it can give back to the community and works to change these things then that is how the term social responsibility can equal ethics.

The reality of globalization

The effects of globalization are interesting and hit close to home. My father has worked in the manufacturing industry for the last 35 years. He has experience, knowledge, but no degree. Since the mid 1990’s my dad has struggled with finding jobs in the industry. Many of the factories that he has worked for close down because of the global competition. They loose their contracts to manufacturers outside the US and the factory has to shut down. He has been directly effected by this global expansion of organizations. I am torn though. I work in the manufacturing department of my company now. One of the reasons that my company is one of the leaders in manufacturing and supply chain is because we have excelled at globalizing. We do not do any of our own manufacturing and almost all of our factories are outside the US in China, India, and South America. This has proved to be a great business decision but it has caused the US factories that used to do these jobs to shut down. I see my dad’s point of view from an individual who has been negatively effected by the globalization of organizations but I am also experiencing the positive business effects of an organization that has globalized.

The Globalization Paradox

In the face of globalization our worlds are expanding and shrinking all at the same time. Our ability to interact with individuals from all over the world at any moment has caused our “digital rolodex” to grow. Our interactions are increasing, our connections are more widespread, and our influence stretches far beyond our physical local. At the same time, because we can connect to anyone, anywhere at anytime the distance between space has decreased. Through new communication technology I can “be” in India in 2.2 seconds. Physical global boundaries no longer exist when it comes to communications. Our worlds are expanding so quickly and so far through the use of new technologies that they have begun to close in on themselves.